Department of Correctional Services Budget Reductions Will Maintain Safety
and Security; Consolidations of Dormitories and Annexes Reflect Declining
Prison Population

The New York State Department of Correctional Services today announced
a plan to improve the efficiency of its operations without impacting public
safety or security. The plan will achieve savings of $81.6 million and
was put forward in response to Governor David A. Paterson’s call
for all state agencies to closely scrutinize their operations and reduce
spending by 3.35 percent in a difficult fiscal environment to help ensure
a balanced state budget.

Commissioner of Correctional Services Brian Fischer announced dormitory
consolidations at 17 medium and minimum security correctional facilities
and a reduction of inmate community crews in addition to other efficiencies
already in place that will allow the Department to reach the 3.35 percent
savings goal and achieve a portion of the additional seven percent reduction
the Governor called for on July 30. The Commissioner said further efficiencies
will be detailed in the coming months.

In total, the initiatives announced today anticipate a reduction of about
1 percent of the Department’s correction officer positions - approximately
200 out of more than 19,600 - to be achieved through attrition and redeployment.
The inmate population has declined by more than 14 percent, from a high
of 71,538 plus another 875 at the DOCS-operated Willard Drug Treatment
Campus on Dec. 12, 1999, to 61,339 and another 790 at Willard today.

The savings plan to achieve the 3.35 percent reductions reflects the following
actions: Accessing previously unavailable federal funds for incarcerating
illegal aliens ($23.6 million savings), shifting construction security
costs to capital financing consistent with past practice and allowable
capital financing ($24 million savings), reducing the number of inmate
work crews that conduct community service projects by 36, which will leave
169 work crews in place ($2.4 million savings), reducing technology expansions
($5.6 million), and delaying centralized pharmacy automation ($1.8 million
savings), among other actions. A full list of initiatives is posted at
the Division of Budget website: http://www.budget.state.ny.us/pubs/archive/fy0809archive/enacted0809/spendingReductions/financialplans.html

The plan also calls for delaying the hiring of civilian and security staff
for specialized mental health treatment units at Green Haven and Marcy
Correctional Facilities pending completion of construction and eliminating
unfilled security positions for transporting inmates to court as required
under the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act to reflect reductions
in current needs and projected inmate population.

Since he entered office, Governor Paterson has reduced spending levels
at all state agencies under his control. To address deteriorating revenues
caused by a weakening economy, he ordered state agencies to reduce spending
by more than 10 percent from the Executive Budget proposed in January of
this year.

In addition to the reduction in the number of inmate community work crews,
which is expected to result in a reduction of 46 correction officers through
attrition, DOCS will achieve additional savings beyond the requirements
of the 3.35 percent plan primarily by consolidating dormitory populations
at 17 medium and minimum security correctional facilities and within annexes
to allow the Department to better manage valuable staff resources while
still maintaining appropriate supervision over a shrinking prison population.
Approximately 1,000 inmates will be moved to existing vacant beds that
are part of already-approved dorm space where security staffing posts already
exist. Most inmates will move within their current correctional facility
and virtually all affected correction officers will move to other posts
within their current facility. This action is expected to result in a reduction
of 150 officers through attrition for full annual savings of $7.8 million.

The Department, which has an operating budget of $2.4 billion and employs
approximately 31,500 security, program, health, administrative and support
staff, anticipates minimal reassignment of staff to other correctional
facilities.

Commissioner Fischer said: “These actions will allow the Department
to respond to Governor Paterson’s call to reduce State operations
spending while still delivering costly, mandated services for sex offenders
and the growing number of inmates with mental illness, and prepare offenders
for their return to the community while protecting our agency’s top
priority: safety and security in and around our correctional facilities.”

Since November 2004, when the last significant consolidation to address
a declining number of inmates was completed, the inmate population has
dropped by another approximately 2,500, leaving numerous excess beds in
medium and minimum security facilities. By filling under-capacity dorms
and concentrating staff there, other dorms can be vacated, saving taxpayers
money. No beds will be affected at maximum security facilities, where the
inmate population has not declined.

Additionally, the Department will reopen the 24-bed Special Housing Unit
area at Groveland Correctional Facility by reassigning security staff now
posted at the Groveland annex dorms that will be vacated.

Due to a constantly fluctuating inmate population and in accordance with
attrition and staffing patterns, the Department may alter the plan going
forward.

Inmate community crews will be reduced at the following men’s minimum
security correctional facilities: Camp McGregor, Camp Gabriels (Franklin
County), Camp Georgetown (Madison), Camp Pharsalia (Chenango), Mid-State
and Groveland Annex, as well as Mid-Orange. Crews will be eliminated at
Gowanda and Otisville.

Commissioner Fischer outlined the plan today for union leaders and the
superintendents of each of the Department’s 70 correctional institutions
across the State. He instructed the superintendents of affected medium
and minimum security facilities to immediately identify the most sensible
locations for dorm consolidations and community crew reductions within
their respective prisons in conjunction with approval from Central Office.